AN: Sorry this is so short. It's the holidays, you know? But hopefully you still enjoy! I will not be posting a chapter December 30th, because again, holidays, but I will post on January 6th, so I will see you all next year! Have a great end of the year!

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena.


Even without the spool, the walls seemed to give off some kind of light- just enough to see a few feet in front of her, just enough to see a few feet behind her, just enough to keep her from running into the corners as she rounded them, panting heavily as she ran.

Gabrielle almost wished it was dark, almost begged for the light to go out, for running in the darkness would have been preferable to the sight chasing after her.

She hadn't meant to let go, she hadn't meant to stop- just the voice, that tiny, child's voice, asking if she was its mother, had startled her so badly she had had to. She had let go of the spool and turned to face the child standing behind her, with every intention on telling it to leave, to go away, of informing it that it wasn't real. She had only planned on taking a mere minute, only for the little girl to be gone by the time she had turned. The little girl and Xena, both having disappeared in a matter of a moment, leaving her alone.

"You know," Callisto's voice echoed to her, forcing Gabrielle to skid to a stop, staring around in absolute terror as the goddess made herself known, "I've always wanted to see you running before me. Separated from your little friend, absolutely helpless to do anything to save yourself- I don't know why, Gabrielle, but that's been the little bedtime play I've imagined a dozen times over to help me get to sleep. Maybe it's your illusions of grandeur," Callisto mused, taking a few steps forward. When Gabrielle tried to step back, she found a wall at her back- trapping her. "Watching you honestly believe you can be anything other than an insignificant little farm girl from a piss poor little village is about as amusing as it is sad. And you actually believe you mean anything to Xena?" Callisto shook her head, tutting sadly. "You're nothing more than an annoyance- you can't even hold onto a stick properly." Laughing, Callisto took the last step forward, closing the distance between them, their chests almost pressed together as Callisto batted her staff to the side, almost out of her hand, and leaned over her.

"The only thing you're good for," Callisto said softly, smiling widely at the terror in Gabrielle's eyes, "is breeding."

"Aunt Callisto has a point, Mother. And you know, I have always wanted a sibling. And Father's waiting."

"No," Gabrielle screamed, striking out with her staff, knocking Callisto away just enough for Gabrielle to slip by, turning into a defensive position as, through the stone wall she had just been pressed against, Hope came through, smiling an almost lovely smile at them both. "No, you're dead, you're both dead," Gabrielle said, the tip of her staff passing between the two, her gaze flickering as she tried to keep both in sight at the same time. "You're not here, and you're not real." Her voice shook as she spoke, almost caught in a sob as they continued to advance towards her, but still she held her ground.

They weren't here, they couldn't be here, because the only things real in the labyrinth were herself, Xena, the spool, and…

"I'm sorry, dearie," Callisto said, her voice sickeningly sweet as she spoke to Hope, "but I believe Mommy's lost it a bit."

"As if she ever had it," Hope tutted back, shaking her head. "Have you ever read any of her scrolls? They're mostly unintelligible, but what you can make out is the raving of a mad woman. And those dreams of hers? It would almost be funny, if it wasn't so sad."

"I'm not mad," Gabrielle said loudly, though both women ignored her. "I'm not, I'm not insane! Everything I write, everything I see, is the truth!"

"Listen to her blabber," Hope said with a sigh, reaching behind her back… and pulling out a knife, large and sharp, glistening in the pale light the stone walls gave. "I say we put her out of her misery."

"I couldn't agree more." Pulling her sword from her belt, Callisto stepped forward, the weapon raised high- only to pause, almost fearful herself, as a bellow rang out down the hall, deep and angry and terrifying, sending both Callisto and Hope scattering as the creature rushed them, its head lowered so its horns almost caught them both through the chest.

Her entire being trembling as the creature circled back, straightening to its full height, Gabrielle almost wished the two women would reappear, for at least she could handle them, even if they did terrify her.

The Minotaur, on the other hand? By its hand, she was about to die.

It towered over her, its entire body covered in fur, massive horns spiraling from its temples to add at least another foot to its already excessive height. With every breath its nostrils flared, its eyes narrowed as it lowered its head to look at her- putting its sharp, very capable of destroying her horns in line with her chest. Holding her staff at the ready, Gabrielle, despite the fear shaking her legs and making her arms feel like jelly, took her stance and waited for it to charge.

If she was going to die, she was going to go down fighting.

Instead, the Minotaur lifted its head, showing its neck for a few moments before reaching out a hand.

"No hurt. Help. Friend danger. Come."

Gabrielle had a thousand questions running through her mind, but only one fact stood out- Xena was in trouble, and the Minotaur was going to help. That was all that mattered, and Gabrielle reached out and took the hand offered to her.

The Minotaur tugged her against itself, lifting her easily into one arm. Raising its head to breathe in deeply, it hesitated for only a moment before setting off, it's quick, long strides eating away the distance as it ran. It took turns with no thought, as if it knew the labyrinth better than the thread itself- a possibility, Gabrielle realized, her thoughts finally clear for the first time in the Minotaur's arms.

Who knew how long it had been down here? How long had it been wandering these halls, supposedly immune to the terrors that had been degrading her mind, mapping out the walls of its home? How many miles had it traveled, how many hours had it spent searching, how-

Every thought in her mind stopped dead at the pained wail that echoed through the labyrinth, her heart freezing at the pure agony within it.

"Gabrielle!"

"Xena," Gabrielle called, tightening her grip on the Minotaur as it picked up its pace, following the sound of fighting instead of Xena's scent. "Xena, I'm coming!" Finally skidding to a halt, Gabrielle quickly struggled free from the Minotaur's grasp, stumbling as her feet hit the ground. Using her staff to balance herself, she pushed herself to her feet- and gasped as she took in the sight Xena presented before her.

Her eyes wild, unseeing, they darted from side to side as she backed herself into a corner, her sword held in shaking hands she as watched whatever unseen creatures stalk towards her. Theirs bags had been dropped, scattered across the floor, and the spool had been thrown to the side, as if it had been used as a weapon. It still glowed, casting its awful light upon the scene, making the panic on her face that much more terrifying.

"Gabrielle," Xena said again, this time softer, choked, tears tracing down her cheeks, "Gabrielle, I'm sorry. I failed you. I couldn't… I'm sorry." She was almost sobbing by now, though she kept her sword raised, the weapon visibly shaking as she tried to fend off whatever was coming towards her.

"I need to get to her," Gabrielle said, looking up at the Minotaur. "Please, help me."

The Minotaur just bellowed once again, the sound piercing through Xena's fog- Gabrielle watched as she started, as she blinked away the fear from her gaze, looking around the section of the labyrinth in a daze, only to jump out of the way as the Minotaur charged, its head bowed once again to piece through whatever apparitions Xena had been caught by. Coming to her knees, Xena once again rose with her sword, though this time it was steady as it pointed at the monster.

"Xena, wait," Gabrielle called, racing forward herself, latching on to Xena's arm- startling the woman, forcing her to turn as Gabrielle pulled, a spark of panic and relief mixing in her gaze as she saw her. Dropping her sword, Xena pulled Gabrielle into a hug, her face burying into Gabrielle's hair as she held her. She was shaking, Gabrielle realized, surprised, shaking hard- the Warrior Princess had truly been terrified of whatever she had seen. "It's ok, Xena," Gabrielle said, pulling away slightly, reaching up to wipe away the tears that had started to stream down her face- a move Xena had done for her so many times over the years. "It's ok, I'm here. And the Minotaur is our friend," she quickly added when the monster turned and came back to them. "It helped me find you."

"Did it now," Xena asked, warily, shifting so she was between Gabrielle and the beast, eyeing it while she wiped her face clean. When it lifted its head to show its neck again before holding out its hand, she seemed to relax, though only marginally. "Thank you," she said, reaching out and taking its hand. "For saving us."

"Come. Follow."

The Minotaur didn't wait to see if they would obey- it just turned on its hoof and, after stopping to scoop some of their things into its arms, including the spool, it took off slowly down the passage, taking its time to allow them to catch up.

Gathering the rest of their things, clinging tightly to each other, Xena and Gabrielle followed after it.

What other choice did they have?